The Mastiff
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 5,577
These steels aren't stainless so even more than the very corrosion resistant class of steels these steels ( 3V, Cruwear, CPM M4, 4V, etc.) can vary a lot from knife to knife ( say Spyderco 3V vs. Bark River 3V). The differences in the way they were heat treated and tempered, at what temps, and how they were finished ie: hand satin or blasted, can affect the steels about as much as changing steels outright. If you had problems with CPM M4 but not Cruwear , it could change to the opposite in different knives. The finishes, and heat treats really do make a difference. When I say it's in the same grouping as steel "B" take it with a grain of salt as steel "B" can vary greatly from knife to knife. Always begin very carefully until you get to know that knife better. Personally I've found CPM M4 to be pretty rust resistant, and in the knives I used it was. If I tried the one you used I likely would have gotten the same results you did.
I'm not talking about quality problems either. Some steels need higher heats to reach the performance the maker desires and typically that will make the steel slightly less corrosion resistant than middle of the road temps. Couple that high heat with a not so highly finished blade and you have a knife that will corrode much easier than a different knife in the same steel.
Once again it's not a quality control problem just the way it was made. Toughness and wear resistance are affected by heat treat too. Usually if the steel is ran for the highest wear resistance it will have lower toughness and corrosion
Joe
